By Michael A. Smith, MD

We’re overweight, we eat too much sugar and fat, and we don’t exercise enough. Unhealthy lifestyles disrupt an otherwise-normal metabolism and create an overabundance of belly fat. When you put it all together, it’s called metabolic syndrome … and it’s killing us.

What is Metabolic Syndrome?

More than 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, a term used to describe a collection of risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Experts agree it’s the average American lifestyle driving the epidemic. But this may actually be good news. If we got ourselves into this mess, then we should be able to get ourselves out of it.

Now, let’s take a look at the risk factors a little more closely. Basically, your doctor will “label” you metabolically sick if you have three or more of the following problems:

A large waist size — greater than 40 inches in men or 35 inches in women.

Blood pressure that is 130/85 or higher.

HDL-cholesterol (the good stuff) less than 40 mg/dL in men and less than 50 mg/dL in women.

Triglycerides greater than 150 mg/dL.

Fasting blood glucose greater than 110 mg/dL.

We also believe that insulin resistance plays a significant role in the development of metabolic syndrome, specifically driving the elevation of blood sugar and the accumulation of belly fat.

Evidenced-based Nutrition for Treating Metabolic Syndrome

The nutrients that show promise in treating metabolic syndrome target belly fat, elevated sugar or insulin dysfunction. By correcting all three risk factors, you can expect to see major changes in your metabolic health. Better metabolic health translates into fewer heart attacks and strokes.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has shown that a water-soluble extract of cinnamon could help reduce risk factors long associated with diabetes and heart disease. The study involved 22 obese participants with elevated blood sugar. They were divided into two groups and either given a placebo or 250 milligrams of dried, water-soluble cinnamon extract twice daily with their diets. The study showed that water-soluble cinnamon extract improved several antioxidant variables by as much as 13% to 23%. These numbers led to decreases in fasting glucose.

In a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 32 obese, insulin-resistant adult men and women drank smoothies made with freeze-dried blueberry powder for 6 weeks. A placebo control group consumed smoothies without blueberry extracts. The blueberry group showed a statistically significant improvement in insulin sensitivity versus the placebo group.

Drinking 1 cup of coffee a day lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 7%, according to a review of 18 studies covering 500,000 people. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid which can inhbit the liver from producing too much sugar and slow down sugar absorption.

Six Healthy Lifestyle Steps for Metabolic Syndrome

So, here’s the lowdown in simple steps that you can easily follow. If more people simply took these steps, we would be significantly healthier and metabolic syndrome could be a thing of the past.

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While I don't doubt these natural supplements help, what about dietary changes? Even if one doesn't buy into the theory that carbohydrate over-consumption causes Syndrome X, it certainly seems logical that reducing blood glucose-spikes in someone who is IR would be priority one. Following that logic, severe reduction of carbohydrate sources (disaccharides/polysaccharides) would be beneficial.

Also, I've seen alpha lipoic acid mentioned in the past for its ability to increase insulin sensitivity (as well as being a potent antioxidant.)

I might rather say "strenuous exercise" in place of "resistance exercise" to include fast and uphill walking, running or biking, in addition to weights and resistance bands as "resistance exercise" usually implies. This also goes along with my skepticism about the anti-carb argument: No, I can't find any redeeming qualities to refined grains and sugars, but whole/sprouted grains and other whole carbs seem only to be a problem for those who avoid exercise. And to rigorously avoid carbs seems to pretty much insure that exercise gets left out of the program.

One should consider the effects of excess estrogen (even some xenoestrogens, but mostly testosterone converted into estrogen from adipose fat via aromatase) and other negative effects of low testosterone levels in men, in contributing to metabolic syndrome. Phytoestrogens, curcumin, antioxidant enzymes and catalase can act as anti-inflammatories and even as aromatase inhibitors, thus reducing the effects of metabolic syndrome and its propensity to be self perpetuating. (e.g. adipose fat produces estrogen which produces adipose fat.)

Well most of it seems reasonable but the caffine is definetly out for me. Doctors told me no caffine. Be careful where you buy your herbs as most herbs contain ingredients that are not good for our digestion. e.g. wood fibre.